The Beating of Two Klingon Hearts
by JeffC FTW
Summary: Taking a glimpse into the events of "You Are Cordially Invited", in which Jadzia Dax thrills over marrying her beloved Worf and is honored to soon join Martok's House - but the shrewish Lady Sirella stands in their way.
**I just love Jadzia Dax that I couldn't help but do a new fic of her, focusing on her and Worf's impending marriage - but that leaves the trouble with mother-in-law Sirella, which had been fun to watch as well as the bride biting back. ;D "You Are Cordially Invited" is definitely one of the best episodes to go back to time and time again, never gets old no matter how many times you watch.**

 **This story ties in with my story "Weyoun and Mia: His Enemy's Daughter", but nothing has really changed from the original episode other than the fact my OC is involved.**

 **None of the story and characters are mine, not even the awesome Jadzia Dax whom Terry Farrell delightfully brought to life. But I DO own my OC.  
**

Before the week ended, she and Worf would be married. She couldn't have been any more excited. She felt like a child again, like the young girl who dreamed of her wedding and now it was finally happening.

Dax and Worf were supposed to be wed by the time the war ended, but Alexander would be gone for a good while before the wedding would take place, therefore missing out on his father's special day. It would mean so much for him to be his father's _Tawi'Yan_ , as his swordsbearer, so it was decided: the wedding date was set before the week ended, here on Deep Space 9 and in Quark's bar.

As soon as word got out, the excitement began.

She was only thirty years old, but she still felt like she had so much energy left to give, wouldn't let marriage change her. She confided in giving the details of the wedding to Kira and Mia, all of which she left to Worf who had been the one to plan everything in the last few months during their separation. Despite his grouchiness at times, he had a heart and the giddiness of a boy, too, and got that look in his eyes when talking about every traditional Klingon ritual. Her friends found even that hard to believe, but it was Worf's human heart talking as well as her own. All men just don't show their emotions often; Dax knew that from being a man three times.

Now Jadzia had her turn as a bride, but based on so many times of memories in a Trill wedding ceremony, to do the same thing over and over was retiring to the senses. Besides, a Klingon event with fire, blood and passion was more than exciting.

Later that day, she found herself pulling out the necklace from Ben and his beloved adopted daughter. To see such power in the rubies and the icy white diamonds in a ring, all of it in luxurious gold, evoked the fire in her system. The ruby had long since been the king of all gemstones in all cultures, so the Klingons had to prize it as the symbol of their culture. The only thing Jadzia wanted for the wedding was to wear this, and Worf didn't object.

Now she was preparing her quarters for the arrival of General Martok's wife, Sirella. According to tradition, the lady of a great House would judge all members of her children's significant others, but Worf was not blood-related to her by any means. Nevertheless, since she would marry him, it would mean she would have a place in his adopted House. Martok prized her as honorable and not only because she was the successor of the great Curzon Dax.

Tomorrow, Worf would begin his journey down the path to _Kal'Hyah_ , along with General Martok, Ben, Miles, Julian and Alexander, of course, to explore his spirituality and emotions - and little did poor Miles and Julian know they were in for four days of hell in existence: deprivation, blood, sweat, tears and all forms of pain. Jadzia laughed to herself that they were having another form of "fun" in the Klingon sense.

But she could not say the same for herself when she found herself taking her own journey - and with none other than Lady Sirella herself.

She was just lighting up the display of _var'Hama_ candles when her fiancée came to visit her. However, he regarded them with a questioning glance. "Are those REAL _var'Hama_ candles?" She rolled her eyes at him, answering sarcastically.

"Yes, Worf, I traveled to Qo'noS and captured three targs in the Hamar Mountains, then made the ritual sacrifice at dawn and returned with them to Deep Space and asked Quark to boil their shoulders into tallow. Then I spent _two_ days -" She hummed and ran her fingers over the smooth surface of one of them, tracing the layers of soft yellow, bloody red and gold. "- molding them into candles with my own two hands."

"I was just asking." Oh, of course he was. Jadzia put both her hands on her hips and lifted her chin at him.

"You were criticizing _again._ Relax, she's not going to reject a prospective daughter just because the _var'Hama_ candles on her welcoming display were replicated," she assured him. Besides, did it matter? These candles were very important to bestow as a gift of honor and respect, which she was more than prepared to give to Sirella. She looked up at the doors to her quarters when the ringer buzzed. "Come in," she called.

She straightened out when she saw WHO entered her humble home: Sirella, Lady of the House of Martok, daughter of Linkassa. Jadzia Dax bowed her head, welcoming her. _"Tuq son bosh mok A'Beh Sirella koh. E'Gagh vet moh."_

But the Klingon woman ignored her altogether and instead focused on the groom being in their presence just days before the wedding. "What is _he_ doing here?" she demanded.

"I meant no disrespect," Worf apologized.

"Then leave."

He turned to look at his bride-to-be, giving her a look that she knew told her to be wary and careful before leaving without another word. Future mother and daughter-in-law were now alone. Sirella cleared her throat. "Your worthiness to join our House will now be judged," she informed the young woman firmly, no trace of warmth, as it was with the majority of mother-in-laws of all species.

But Jadzia would not let herself be pushed down. If she could be nice, then things would go smooth. "I am prepared, my lady," she responded, smiling, but the other woman did not.

"I doubt that," she stated bluntly. "A Klingon woman would find it difficult to gain my favor. For..." Her eyes glittered with hard malice. "...an alien, it will most likely be impossible."

Dax narrowed her eyes, swelling inside. To be called an "alien" was an insult to her dignity, but she kept telling herself the woman was only doing her traditional duty. "I like a challenge." This did not seem to make Sirella happy.

"I will NOT have my authority be challenged by _you,"_ she said angrily, her hands visibly clenching at her sides, and now the Trill knew she made a mistake and had to fix it fast.

"That's not what I meant -" she started only to get cut off.

"If you cannot say what you mean, say nothing at all. The evaluation will begin tomorrow morning. Have the traditional meal prepared before I arrive." She turned to leave but paused and gracefully turned to stick her chin out. "And in the future, if you can't trouble yourself with real _var'Hama_ candles, try not to use such obvious _fakes_."

~o~

While everyone was bustling with excitement, setting up Klingon banners and flowers in Quark's Bar and Grill, the bride and groom themselves were facing their mental, spiritual and emotional journeys for the next four days. The major obstacle being the fact that the matriarch of the great family opposed the idea of an alien joining her ranks, never mind she was a successor of the great Curzon Dax who negotiated peace between the Federation and the Klingons. But Jadzia Dax had to prove she was capable, and her love for Worf was not enough to show Sirella.

All Klingon brides were required to take a ceremony preparation known as the _Bre'Nan_ ritual, overseen by the mistress herself. And if she was not satisfied by any means, she had the power to call off the wedding. This first job Jadzia currently took was to prove how strong she was, recite the chant to Kahless and then set down the weights on either side of her back on their pedestals.

Unfortunately, her smaller if lightly muscled body did not manage to get the weights back in place perfect, for she had to slow down and be careful to not drop them. And it was the third time now that Sirella had to dejectedly ask her to do it again. "I've done it three times now!" Jadzia complained, rubbing her arms and watching the circling old woman who was rather striking despite her age.

"You continue to rush through the ceremony," Sirella said coldly. "Your body composition is poor."

"Well, do you know how _heavy_ those things are?"

"A Klingon woman would not have complained."

"You wouldn't make a Klingon woman doing it three times in a row!" Dax returned hotly. What was the point in this one ritual anyway? Curzon inside her urged her to keep cool, to keep going, and her old mentor was right. But this woman's cool hostility and her approach made her return the heat.

Sirella's voice was softer, icier and threatening. "End this now, Jadzia," she sneered. "Go back to your own people. They will tolerate your weaknesses and your failings. You may join our House, but you will NEVER be one of us. Even if you do manage to prove yourself worthy, you will always be at best an object of pity; you will always be an alien, an outsider - never an equal."

~o~

Mia wanted to see Dax tonight, just to see how she was doing after grueling with that future mother-in-law. Klingons were not the most easiest to get along with. She was helping Quark arrange the ceremony décor in his bar, and she got finished late. Jadzia had to be awake at this time. This would be her first marriage, but Dax in each host had been through five marriages altogether. This one would be the sixth.

She thought it funny - but not in the sense - that a marriage would ever happen when they were still in the middle of a war, but the violence was aside for now. She and Weyoun had been separated for a little over a week now, and she missed him. She'd been furious with him for doing everything he did, almost ordering the deaths of her brother, Kira, Rom and Leeta and would have done the same to her if not for the fact she was carrying his child...but no matter what, she still loved him. Despite their differences, they had each other.

Mia arrived at Jadzia's quarters when she stopped abruptly and watched as the doors opened, and out strode a brilliant figure of a Klingon woman, but brilliant really? Sure, she was powerful and commanding, but if she wasn't scowling, she would have been an interest on the human girl's list. She paused to take one look at Mia before saying no word, sniffing and turning in the other direction. Mia huffed; what a snob. Kira had the honor of introducing the Klingon matriarch to her quarters to stay and visit, but the witch declined, which told the Bajoran the answer as to how she must treat Worf's betrothed.

"Oh, Mia, thank God you're here," the Trill said when she stood in the doorway, glaring out first at the retreating woman and smiling upon seeing her best friend's daughter. "I could use someone pleasant after today." She groaned and rubbed her arms. "You won't believe what I went through. Lifting weights, reciting Klingon..."

Mia laughed. "She's that bad?"

"We should bring Nerys in. I owe you both the entire story and what else to expect tomorrow," Jadzia answered before tapping her comm badge and calling the major.

~o~

With some help from Mia and Nerys, she had the greatest find ever given her task today, so she'd had plenty of time to explore the roots of the truth that had never been taken seriously. She was to study the history of the family of the mistress of the House, particularly the women of her ancestry - especially this one in particular.

"And so the Second Dynasty ended when Emperor Reclaw was assassinated," Jadzia recited, folding her hands in front of him and surrounded with lit _var'Hama_ candles and Sirella circling with her head held high, impassive and intent, "and for the next ten years the government was ruled by the people. Modern Klingon historians refer to this as the 'Dark Time'." She paused to grin with her next bit. Maybe a little more extra clever details would broaden the path. "But it's interesting to note that this is the first and only time the democracy was ruled by the people -"

Sirella cut in sharply. "You are straying from the saga."

"Am I?" Dax questioned innocently.

"Your task was to recite the complete chronicle of the women in _my family._ Now, return to the story of my twenty-third maternal grandmother - Shenara, daughter of Emperor Reclaw."

"Well, that's where we run into a little bit of a problem. You see, I did some research -" Time to spring the trap, leave her friends out of this. She could just hear the clever little Amelia laughing it off as she loved history and facts as much as Dax. "- and when Emperor Reclaw was killed, all the members of the imperial family were put to death...including Shenara." Sirella's face did not change, but she was seething. "Ten years later, a new group of Klingons were given the names and titles of the original imperial family, to create the _illusion_ of an unbroken line. So the woman you think of as your twenty-third maternal grandmother," she said smoothly and sarcastically, shrugging once, "isn't related to you at all. Your real ancestor's name was _Karana_ \- a concubine living outside the imperial stables."

"My grandmother's name was _Shenara,_ " Sirella growled, baring her teeth.

"That may be what's been passed on from generation to generation," Jadzia replied, "but it has no basis and fact. But who cares about fact? As long as they keep telling and telling it." This woman in front of her claimed to have royal blood, but she was just like her husband: she was born humble and without privilege - but she was also determined to keep her rank safe. The Trill reeled back with amusement when the older woman leaned forward, ready to strike her and thought better of it. Jadzia dared her with her eyes, but instead, Sirella spoke venomously.

"Continue with the saga."

"My pleasure."

She really was afraid of a little competition, wasn't she? Well, no matter, because tomorrow night she had her party with all of her friends, to alleviate the stress of dealing with Lady Sirella. This would be her next to last night as a single lady; make it last while it could.

~o~

How could she be so foolish as to not take his people's way of life _seriously?_

He had been approached along with Martok by none other than Sirella with the fact that the wedding had been called off because Jadzia _attacked_ her, refused to finish performing the _Bre'Nan_ ritual to her satisfaction. She'd walked in on Jadzia having a wild party in which she was "acting like a Risian slut", and turned her down and humiliated her in front of the others.

Worf sat alone on the _Defiant_ , wanting nothing more than to be alone. The decision to end the wedding was not only because of Martok's wife; it was because his _par'mach'kai_ was too proud and stubborn to beg Sirella's forgiveness. Instead of taking it seriously that she would never be legalized to join the House of Martok, she just had to laugh it off and offer to have Captain Sisko perform the union in his office, with no real passion and power in the binding - and no story of the creation of the Klingons.

He closed his eyes. He pondered if perhaps their relationship was over now...and then the door to the brig rang. "Enter," Worf called, turning around to see who had the gall to bother him - only to find it only General Martok, raising his hand as a gesture of no means to interfere, only that he wanted to talk.

"Worf," he said after a moment, somber, "you've made a grave error." He was referring to the fact he had to let go of the most glorious woman he had ever met in existence, but was it really as problematic? "Do you still love her?"

"Of course," Worf answered, turning away from him. "However, in this case, that...may not be enough." He scoffed. "Anyone can see we are hopelessly mismatched. She's a Trill, I am a Klingon. She has had _five_ marriages, and this would be my first. When she is laughing, I am somber. When I am happy, she's crying. She plays tongo with the Ferengi bartender, but I can barely stand him," he sneered. "She mocks everything, while I take everything seriously. She is... _nothing_ like the woman I thought I'd marry." Evaluating his own words, seeing how different they were, he was on the verge of making the final decision in deciding that maybe he was better off alone for the rest of his life, as no one would ever truly appreciate him...

But then Martok changed it altogether. "We're not...accorded the luxury of choosing the women we fall in love with." He shook his head, laughing. "Did you think Sirella is anything like the woman I thought _I'd_ marry? She is a prideful, arrogant, mercurial woman who shares my best far too infrequently for my taste. And yet..." He closed his eyes and sighed with the upmost longing. "I love her deeply. We Klingons often tout our prowess in battle, desire honor and glory above all else - but how hollow is the sound of victory without someone to share it with?"

His heart began to pick up paces. Martok's marital situation was not at all that different from his own. Jadzia was proud and arrogant, but she was everything he ever wanted - why did he think to push her away like this? He never thought he would ever get married, never thought he would find someone to share his victories with...until she walked into his life. _Honor gives little comfort to a man alone in his home...and in his heart._

~o~

The dress was overwhelmingly hot, hugging her body tightly and searing her flesh - but she owned it. She felt like a queen for a day, ready to join her king. She was ready to present an all-new Jadzia Dax, the daughter of Kela. Ben was right that she wasn't Curzon anymore, that she had to go back to Sirella and beg her forgiveness, drop to her knees and request the final challenge to earn her place in the House of Martok.

The final performance of the _Bre'Nan_ ritual was to duel with the mistress, and she won. Proved she was a fighter with a _bat'leth._ To see Sirella lying on the ground in the holosuite after the men finished _Kal'Hyah_ gave her satisfaction and the forgiveness she deserved. She could not wait to get married.

The dress was red, fierce and tight, and even better than she could have imagined. Her forehead was crowned with gold, her dark hair wild and free, the front of the chest opened down the front to show her curves; this was a modern Lukara, ready to go out and meet her Kahless. Taking a few deep breaths as she listened to the drums outside the doorway to the inside of the bar hung with exotic banners and flowers, set with numerous bonfires and serenaded by Sirella's powerful telling of the legend of the creation of two Klingon hearts - and seeing her Worf standing there in regal red and gold like she - now was her turn to make her entrance.

Feeling like the royalty she had been treated as, Jadzia Dax gave all her friends and comrades a beaming smile as she strode down the aisle to marry her soul mate.

 **It was not mentioned in "His Enemy's Daughter" as to whether or not Mia and Kira helped Jadzia find out Sirella's true heritage, but now I thought it made sense and made things more interesting. :) I was also reading "It's a Good Day to Get Married" by romansilence, which shows a missing scene as to how Jadzia earned Sirella's forgiveness. Ever since then, it did beg the question about what the final step in the Bre'Nan ritual was, and a duel made that much more sense. The bride besting the mistress the day before the wedding is so much fun. ;D**

 **Reviews are appreciated. :D  
**


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